Ashen Kisses
by eunc
Summary: AU. After believing one thing for so many years, Taichi finds his entire reality shattered in an instant. Now with everything either black or white, can he discover the gray area and reassemble what he has lost? Or will it all turn to ash?
1. Prologue: First Embrace

**Disclaimer:** "Digimon", its characters, and story plot do not belong to me. This plot and any unrecognizable characters, however, are of my creation. I do not write for profit.

**Author's Note (30.06.2007):** I have revised this story, which is still under hiatus, and can only pray that this version is far superior. I converted the American names to their rightful, blessed Japanese names and have filled in some of holes in this piece. This is an **Alternate Universe**, so some events and relationships are not the same as they are in the series. I hope you enjoy.

* * *

**Ashen Kisses  
Prologue: First Embrace**

* * *

Have you ever gazed at the moon and have it gently kiss your face with its pale light?

Well, I have—and more than once.

Years ago, when my friends, my little sister, and I went to a summer camp together, we got lost during a hike through the mountains. Not only did we get lost, but we found ourselves in an alternate, fantastic world. To this day none of us knew how we got there, but it had happened; and we had survived for three months there and found a way home on our own. Add to that, we even saved the other world.

And every night we spent there, as I rested on the ground beside my sister and the others to sleep, I stared up into the sky and had the moon kiss me goodnight whenever it was there.

Amazingly, the eight of us didn't kill each other or get killed during those three months, and we became the best of friends. Mind you, Yamato and I nearly killed each other a few times, but as I said, we became best friends. As our group survived and saved the bizarre magic world, during those three months we learned a lot about each other and ourselves—we became our own weird little family. To this day, we're still close. A majority of us even went to the same high school together: a majority as in myself, Yamato, Sora, and Koushiro.

Jyou entered into a prestigious high school specializing in medicine, which made sense. That high school is famous for its recommendations and alumni doctors—perfect for Jyou and his dreams. Mimi's family moved to the States two years after our adventure, so she attended high school there. Naturally, we visited her a few times when we could afford to do so.

Takeru, Yamato's younger brother, and my sister Hikari went to same junior high school. During the summer of their second year, they went to the same camp from years before and met their own group of friends. Ironically, they disappeared into the same alternate world and saved it in only two months: one month less because of Takeru and Hikari's experience the first time around. So when they returned, four other children joined our funny family. And years and years after, we still cherish each other.

Together, we learned many lessons: courage, friendship, love, knowledge, purity, faith, hope, and kindness. Through our adventures and time together, we saw how our own world needed defenders who would uphold everything that stood for the Light. Darkness became our enemy, and we never lost to it. Always we defend those in need or at loss.

We are like the moon in the night, shining hope and light for those in Darkness. But the moon is not the sun, and night overtakes it from time to time: like humanity.

Now, I am no longer a part of the sun, a bright source of Light.

Now, not even the moon will bless me with her luminescent kisses.

Only the Darkness will love me.

Love me, in its hateful way.


	2. Chapter I

**Author's Note (09.07.2007):** Some elements have changed from the original version, such as taking place in an alternate universe, but the base of the story remains. Please keep in mind that this is an alternate universe, so if some elements do not directly coincide with the series, a reason exists. Thank you, and I hope you enjoy.

* * *

**Ashen Kisses  
Chapter I**

* * *

The night felt cool, that atmosphere relaxed: odd, considering I stood in the middle of a city. Although in the dead of winter, the air didn't have its biting chill it usually had. As I walked through the streets, city lights twinkled and sparkled like fireworks with the occasional flare from cars and motorcycles.

But in an instant, a chilly wind blew and whistled through the tall skyscrapers, making myself wrap my blue coat closer around me. An evil shiver ran down my spine, a dark thought racing through my mind; I thought I saw a dark cloud fly over head, blocking out the moonlight. I sensed myself growing cold while thinking, _What the hell was that?_

I felt a gentle, warm hand on my shoulder, pulling me away from my thoughts. "Hey, are you okay?" Yamato asked, his blue eyes staring into my own two eyes.

_Did that wind shake me that much?_ I shook my head in disbelief, wondering why I still felt something was wrong. Seconds before, I thought the night warm and happy; but now—_What's going on?_ "Yeah, I'm fine. I just got the shivers suddenly," I replied, smiling a cocky grin.

Yamato glared at me, as I had expected, not believing a single word I had said; I knew he wouldn't have, but it was worth a try, wasn't it? I counted down from ten, waiting for Yamato's predictable reply: "Stupid Yagami. Do you think I'm that stupid, Taichi? We're friends for a reason—I know you too well."

_Too well indeed_, I couldn't help chuckle to myself. Since our adventures in the alternate world Deijitaru, we had known each other for over fifteen years. Twenty-three: we would celebrate our twenty-third birthdays this year. Tonight, we had found time in our busy schedules and had met each other for dinner, for old time's sake.

"And I've made such a profound impact on your life with my stupidity, haven't I?" I teased, punching my friend playfully on the arm. I tried to laugh the seriousness out of the air, my usual obnoxious personality taking over. Years ago, when my seven friends and I found ourselves in that magical world, I had been the most arrogant person my friends had ever known. Through our adventures, events and situations improved me; and now, I'm only obnoxious as a defense mechanism: too bad Yamato knew this too.

He frowned and crinkled his nose at my answer, repeating in a grumble, "Stupid Yagami." I laughed, unable to look at his scowling face. It was far too stern and too old for a young person like him. Whenever Yamato had looked at me with such faces when we were younger, even then I couldn't help but to laugh; unless, of course if it was during one of our childish leadership brawls. But looking at him now made me think of a supermodel impersonating a ninety-year old man.

"Yamato, there's no point on staring and glaring at me. Let's just face the fact that you're older than your face," I managed to say in between laughter. Giving him a saucy grin, I added, "This must be your sex appeal to women: you look like a baby but you're really an old man on the inside."

"Taichi, you little—" Just as Yamato was about to pounce on me, something else caught his attention: a sound. I heard it as well.

A little girl shrieked somewhere deep in the night: a cry for help.

Instantaneously an image of Hikari in trouble flashed through my brain. My instincts as an older brother kicked in as I whirled around, looking for the source of the sound. All my senses worked overtime, my mind telling me to rescue the little girl. _Where is she? She has to be nearby—I need to find her._

"Look, Taichi!" Yamato shouted as he pointed at the park ahead of us. A dark figure ran swiftly into the heavily wooded park, a little girl squirming in the abductor's arms.

"Help me, someone! Help me!" the little girl cried, tears flying from her green eyes.

Her eyes captured my soul.

With a single glance, I knew that girl was in deep trouble. Her eyes projected her desperation and helplessness, her fear of the Darkness stealing her away. I was barely able to contain my anger burning in my heart. I could feel myself growl, my head about to blow. I would not let that person get away with kidnapping that girl.

"Let's go after them!" With a silent agreement, Yamato and I quickly chased after the kidnapper and hoped that we would be able to save the girl.

* * *

"Let go of her!" I yelled angrily, my furious temper lashing out. After chasing the kidnapper for fifteen minutes, Yamato and I finally cornered her someplace in the depths of the park. Hopefully we weren't too late.

We glared at the figure, who turned out to be a lady that had the little girl's neck in her grasp. I didn't like this woman at all. She seemed cruel and evil, just like the air that whipped around her ghastly white hair. She was tall, her skin deathly pale and smooth; she looked like a banshee from the old horror movies. Her killer golden eyes stabbed at me with a glacial glare.

She could have been attractive—could have, in some alternate reality. Her clothing was skin-tight black leather and rather revealing; I could tell she was a woman who wasn't afraid to seduce someone to her will. This woman was pure evil.

"And who's going to make me? You?!" the witch-like lady laughed, the little girl in her possession. "As if I would release my prey to the likes of you."

I fought back a growl, trying to control myself. The situation demanded a little delicacy, and the little girl's life depended on Yamato and me. "Let that girl go or else you're going to regret ever meeting the two of us!" I said firmly, taking a step towards the witch. Yamato did the same, perfectly in sync with me.

_Good_, I thought with some relief. _We both want the same thing—it'll be much easier to take this crazy woman together._

She leered at us, her cold eyes narrowing: assessing us, probably. Apparently, she didn't think us a serious threat. "Aw, too bad that you two will regret meeting me," she cackled, tightening her grip on the child. I saw the little girl flinch, her face now beginning to turn a sickly blue. This was definitely not good.

The hag then brought out her free hand and made a small waving motion. Yamato and I stared at the woman, both thinking that she was a complete lunatic. But before we knew it, something shot out of the demented lady's hand. I couldn't see it, but I felt it race towards Yamato and me. Without another thought, I quickly pushed my friend out of the way.

"Taichi, watch out for the—" Yamato hit his head against a tree, hard. I saw in his cerulean eyes before he blacked out that he had sensed it too and that I was going to get caught by the attack. Suddenly, overwhelming pressure pinned me against the nearest tree, the force nearly crushing the bones in my body.

"AAAHHH!" Agonizing pain surged through my body; my ears popped; and my head pounded and throbbed. The horrid lady's voice rang through my mind as I screamed. Her footsteps crashed in my ears as she walked towards me, my body paralyzed against the tree. I could barely make out the captured girl's whimpers.

_Is she all right? Where was she now?_ I tried concentrating on finding her, but the pain only worsened—only the burning and biting pain remained in my thoughts.

"Hm, you're much stronger than I had expected. A normal human being would have instantly died with such an attack. You must have incredibly powerful blood," she hissed, her face just inches from mine. My blood froze when she raked an icy, bony finger along my cheek. She grinned with a thirst of blood within her charcoal pools for eyes.

"Leave him alone! Don't hurt him!" the little girl cried from somewhere.

_She's close—she must be with the witch._ Again, I tried fighting against the pain. I needed to break the spell. Yamato was out, and the girl only had me to save her. And if I failed, Yamato and I would both die.

"That's big talk coming from a brat that's about to die," the woman hissed.

I heard a small whimper and thought the girl had surrendered; however, in seconds, she screamed, "Leave him alone! Don't kill him! Don't hurt him! LEAVE HIM ALONE, YOU WITCH!"

Hearing courage in her voice awakened some small strength inside of me. Fighting against the spell became a little easier—and I felt my left wrist loosen in pressure. _I'm almost there. I can almost move…_

"Shut up, you little brat!" The woman shook the girl roughly in her hand. The poor child yelped in pain as blood began to trickle down her neck. A new wave of anger rushed over me; my fist began to tremble, itching to hit the woman in front of me.

"L-l-leave h-her alone!" I barely managed to yell out, my voice growling more than yelling. I was losing consciousness as it was getting harder to breathe. _Don't faint! Stay awake Taichi—you can't afford to lose this fight. You won't get a second chance—she won't get another chance! People are depending on you!_

The witch returned her attention to me, and with it came more power in her attack. The small strength I had before disappeared. "What does this girl's life matter to you? You're much stronger than she will ever be." From her momentary silence, I guessed she was assessing me again. "Why do you care so much about this pathetic human's life? What is she to you?"

"She is an innocent child! She doesn't deserve to die at the hands of someone like you!" I snapped with as much fight as I could give. "She deserves to live, and I'm going to help her do it!"

The lady smirked, her eyes reflecting a feeling of twisted amusement. In fluid movement, she came towards me while whispering, "I bet your blood…tastes so sweet…"

_My blood?!_ I felt stained when her breath fell on me and she licked my cheek, utterly horrifying me and making me nearly pass out. I thought I would throw up my entrails right then, but I managed to contain myself.

"And before you are mine," she hissed softly in my ear, "I will tell you my name. . . . Akukin is what my kind calls me, Akukin of Kinmuku's line." She opened her mouth and bared a pair of glinting, dagger-sharp fangs. I could feel an invisible force tilt my head to the right, bearing my neck defenseless.

My eyes grew wide in realization as I stared at the woman, horrified.

_She's a vampire._

I felt her icy breath on my neck, and then I felt a sudden prick upon my neck. My blood this time really did freeze, and ice surged through my lungs. I began to yell in pain once again as even more pressure crushed me. I could barely breathe now, and I knew my bones would soon reach their breaking point. The pain would become overwhelming. I felt myself about to faint.

Images sprang through my mind—I could see Kinmuku and Kingin beginning their lines, Akukin becoming a vampire, and she growing in power over the centuries. The pain began overpowering my senses, my mind almost lost to everything. I felt a separating between the physical and the spiritual, as I were—

Just when my sight was about to go black, I heard Yamato yell through my screams of pain; he must have regained consciousness. "LET THEM BOTH GO, WITCH!" Yamato yelled as I heard him attack the creature of Darkness.

Whatever he did, the mad-woman shrieked in complete agony. Her hellish scream reverberated loudly in my mind; my entire body tensed as I yelled from the pain. Her power released me and I fell face-flat to the ground. Slowly stretching and feeling my limbs again, I found comfort against the soft, dew-wet grass. The fresh smell of grass gave me deep relief after the near-bone-crushing spell. I inhaled deeply a wondrous scent, the scent of life.

"You—you will regret ever crossing me," the hag gasped, exhausted from pain, "I shall make the both of you pay for interrupting my feeding. Mark my words, you shall regret this!" She then disappeared in a blink of an eye.

She was gone.

"Are you okay, mister?!" the little girl asked worriedly while running towards me. As I tried to pick up myself to a sitting position, she helped me as best she could. _Thank you, God she's still with us. We managed to save her after all._

"Yes, I'm fine. Are you—" I looked at the girl and gaped once again. Her first glance had immediately convinced me to rescue her; her second glance proved that she had the most beautiful green eyes I had ever seen, especially for a young child. Without realizing, I found myself lost in her worried gaze, wondering why she looked so concerned. _Who are you?_

"Taichi, are you okay?" Yamato drudged up beside me, worn out from the fight. I ignored his question as he helped me up, myself currently occupied by staring at the little girl. She looked about to be eight years old, her height no more than three-foot six. The little girl had adorable short, boyish, brown hair and had an air of extreme innocence; she reminded me a lot of Hikari.

"Hey, Taichi," Yamato's stern voice woke me from my trance.

"Yeah?" I replied, shaking myself out of my daze. He frowned at me, deep disappointment in his cold gaze. He folded his arms across his chest and shook his messy blonde head. "What?!"

He said nothing while shaking his head. In return, I leered at him angrily, Yamato's attitude beginning to annoy me. What had I done now to make him angry with me? _What can he possibly be self-righteous about right now?_

"This is sad, Taichi," he muttered quietly into my ear, "This is so low, falling for a little girl." I felt my face especially my cheeks grow very warm. Without a doubt my face turned tomato red, realizing what to what he inferred.

"ISHIDA YAMATO!" I took three big huffs of air, trying to keep my cool: that was going really well. "How dare you think that I would—you're such a sick freak, Yamato!" Head to head, growling angrily at each other, we gave each other death glares; lightning could be felt surging through our eye contact, each silently daring the other to back down.

"Um, excuse me?" the little girl whispered. This snapped Yamato and me from our anger and forced us to remember her. We quickly turned to the little girl, recognizing her presence. The sight of blood trickling down her neck quickly caught my attention.

"Oh, I forgot that…" Motioning her to come closer, I caught her chin and turned her head, finding the gash the vampire had inflicted with her nails. Nothing serious: but the injury made me uneasy anyway.

I ripped a strip from my shirt, gently wrapping the oozing cut; I knew my mother would get mad at me for ruining my shirt, but who cared? She had given me this shirt for Christmas, but I had never liked this shirt anyway anyhow. _Well, it would help if I told her I used it for first aid and saved someone's life. That would at least change the subject, right?_ But I knew that I could never speak of this night to her.

"There—that should do for a while," I exclaimed, proud of my own work. This girl resembled Hikari even more now with a bluish make-shirt bandage around her neck; it reminded me of when she had been only eight years old.

_Eight years old. Hikari hasn't been eight for ten years. She'll graduate from high school soon._ I smiled in anticipation, knowing she would face big changes in her life after graduation. _I'm worried a little, sure, but I know he'll take good care of her. It's something we've all been waiting for._

"Hey, Taichi."

"Yeah?"

"Stop looking like an idiot." I scowled at him and threw a tuft of grass at him. In retaliation, he threw some lawn at me. We began to glare again, all the while ripping grass from the park lawn and shoving them towards each other. Our little bystander giggled at the sight of us. I guess the sight of two young adults bickering like five year-olds is a little humorous: to her anyway.

"Thank you, oji-san," she smiled while walking to me. She gave me a hug, her little arms wrapping tightly around my neck. I blushed at being called 'oji-san'. It made me sound a little too old.

"Um, you're welcome. It was no problem. And you can just call me Taichi," I said, trying pry the girl off of my neck. I could hear snickering coming from behind me.

Without a sign of relenting, the girl eagerly held onto me and said, "My name is Nobuyoshi Shuuko! My friends call me Shuu-chan though. You can call me Shuu-chan, Taichi-san." She only smiled at me with her captivating eyes and hugged me closer.

Obviously, I was taken back by her innocent forwardness.

Since Shuuko wouldn't release my neck, I picked her up with my right arm as I stood up. Surprisingly, she was light for her age. As I tried again to free myself from her hold, I grew more and more embarrassed about the situation. I could hear Yamato from behind trying to stifle his laughter.

_Maybe if I get her comfortable enough, she'll let go—yeah, and then maybe she'll attach herself to Yamato…I should try that._ "Ah, Nobuyoshi-chan, where—"

"Shuu-chan," she quickly corrected me, smiling a sweet smile all the while. I could see in her eyes that she was going to be persistent with the names.

I sighed in defeat. "Okay, Shuu-chan, where do you live? What are you doing out here so late at night? Shouldn't you be at home right now?" Shuuko bowed her brown-haired head, almost as if in shame. While she buried her face into my shoulder, I heard her sniffle, and soon I felt cold drops fall onto my shirt.

She was crying!

I put my free hand on top of her head, doing my best to comfort her. What was going on? "S-Shuuko…? Are you—are you all right, Shuu-chan?"

She shook her head and buried her face deeper into my shirt. She then mumbled something, but I couldn't make it out. I looked at Yamato for help, but he awkwardly shrugged in helplessness. He mouthed, "I don't have a little sister."

_You're the one with a little sister,_ he eyes relayed. _I have a little brother. I have no idea why little girls start crying randomly. You definitely have more experience in this area, Taichi._

Yamato's uselessness was disappointing yet expected. With a heavy sigh, I looked sadly at my new appendage. "Shuu-chan, Yamato and I need to take you home, you know… I bet your parents are really worried about you," I whispered quietly into her ear.

She slowly nodded while crying harder than ever. With her cradled in my arms, I reluctantly began to walk towards the police station, Yamato not far behind me. I didn't know why, but a guilty feeling hung in my gut. I felt my heart telling me that Shuuko couldn't go home, but she had to. I mean, where else could she go?

In silence, the three of us the slowly began to walk through the city, searching for the nearest police station.

* * *

"Are you serious, 'nii-chan?" Hikari asked me incredulously, staring at me while she lightly buttered her toast. I nodded, taking a bite out of my own piece of toast; crumbs pattered quietly as they fell onto my plate.

The morning after last night, I had told Hikari all that had happened while excluding the part about where Yamato and I fought the vampire woman and such. No need to worry my little sister about ancient legends and horror movies—or remind her that they did indeed exist.

"A little girl, no older than eight, was wandering around Tokyo at midnight? Hm, that's curious, really mysterious. She must have been lost or something," my sister muttered thoughtfully, eating more of the breakfast I had made for the two of us.

She smiled when she tasted some of the bento I had made for her. "Wow, 'nii-chan! You did a really good job this time!" she exclaimed happily while packing away her lunch into her school bag.

"Thanks. That's a real compliment, hearing it from you." I smiled in pride, glad that she enjoyed my cooking; she was, after all, the better cook within the family. I guess I could feel very proud, since I didn't cook a lot with my parents around. I didn't even live in the same apartment as my family anymore. I presently lived alone in a small, single apartment across the district.

My parents had gone on a cruise for two in the Bahamas in the Caribbean, and they didn't like the idea of Hikari staying home alone for so long. Being nubile teenage girl, Hikari had a lot of admirers—and our parents had the notion that her admirers would become attackers. _Like hell I would let that happen._

I took a glimpse at my watch. "Hey, Hikari, shouldn't you be heading for school right now?"

She took a look at her own watch, and her ruby eyes grew wide in thoughtful surprise. "Acutally, 'nii-chan, I'm quite early. I don't need to be at class for another two hours," Hikari replied cheerfully. She ran into her room to grab a notebook and her pencil pouch. "I'm usually late for class, but I guess, if you want after breakfast, you could walk with me to the school."

"What? And miss out on seeing the horrified looks of my former teachers? Imouto-chan, you have a date!" Hikari shook her head and sighed, giggling to herself. She was so cute when she was happy.

Lately, she became easily depressed and lost her energy fairly quickly. The doctors said nothing was wrong; Takeru, on the other hand, stressed something wasn't right. At school, he said, while she sat alone, she would stare off into space and sigh… soon afterward falling into a depression. He suggested that she remembered the adventures in Deijitaru and the friends we made there. She even remembered the ones who sacrificed themselves for our cause, only encouraging depressing feelings. Since he knew Hikari better than doctors would, I believed his reasoning.

I would work harder to make her happy.

After finishing my breakfast, we cleared the table, Hikari got dressed into her uniform and grabbed her bag, and we then began to head out the door. As I put my jacket on, I felt a strange pain on my neck. I massaged it, trying to ease the pain out.

_What is it?_ I felt a strange sensation surging through my body, like molted metal flowing through a mold. And then an attack of chills and shivers rippled through me, sweat beading on my face. _Am I coming down with something?_

Hikari looked at me with worry. "Are you all right, 'nii-chan? You seem a little pale."

I turned to her quickly. "I'm okay, it's nothing. I'm just fine, Hikari." She gave me a suspicious look, but she quickly swept the thought away. I guess she thought that the subject wasn't worth prying into.

I opened the door for the two of us, a gust of cold air greeting us. "Shall we?" I asked Hikari as I held the door for her. I took her bag from her, not wanting my little sister carrying something of this weight for a good three blocks. Linking her arm with mine, she smiled, and together we stepped lightly out the door.

After silently walking down the street arm in arm for a while, I looked down at Hikari, only to see her smiling dreamily at the sky. I smiled inwardly, knowing what Hikari wasn't thinking about—then again, I knew what she thought of too. "Can't wait for your graduation, huh, Hikari? Can't wait to face Takeru as an adult, can you?" I inquired, trying to keep myself from chuckling.

Hikari quickly turned to me and blushed. "Ah, he said he had something important to tell me after graduation, and I'm just wondering what it could be…"

I grinned, unable to resist the temptation. Teasing Hikari and Takeru about their relationship had been Yamato's and my favorite hobby since—since now I guess. Even when they had made it official, we bothered them anyway; it's our job. "So, do you have any ideas what it is? We know it isn't a love confession: he's already done that." I frowned. "And it better not be anything about separation, because if he breaks your heart that day, I'm breaking his neck."

Hikari stared at me in horror.

"Onii-chan, y-you—you wouldn't! You wouldn't do that to—"

I placed a hand on her head. "I can never forgive anyone hurting my imouto-chan. I wouldn't feel bad at all killing Takeru if he hurt you." Only when I broke into a grin did she see through my teasing. I then laughed, "Relax, relax! I promise that I won't do anything to him."

_Of course, only if he doesn't do anything to hurt you. But then again, Takeru would kill himself if he did do anything of that sort, and Hikari knows that too._ And if he did everything right and things went as he had planned, graduation would definitely be memorable for both of them: everyone hoped for the best.

I shook my head so my hair would fly wildly by the city breeze; my uneasiness from earlier this morning slightly returned. A few teenage girls from Hikari's school turned and stared at me. I turned and winked at them, chuckling when I saw a few of them blushing and turning away.

Hikari simply watched her schoolmates walk by, a frown darkening her face. Once out of earshot, came a voice, "Onii-chan, you shouldn't do that. What if one day a girl thinks you're serious? And what if she confesses to you? What will you do then?"

I shrugged carelessly, not because I didn't care, but because I had never considered the possibility before. It had never seemed possible. "I don't think I'll ever have to worry about it, Hikari. I mean, why would good high school girls want to date me? I don't have any money, no real connections, and no charm. I'm not really a fan favorite for dating."

"You haven't spent a day with my classmates," she sighed tiredly. I tried not laughing at her expression, so I minimized it to a chortle.

"Eh? Your classmates? What are they saying about me?"

"They think you're attractive and that you're very nice. Even though I told them you don't make a lot of money right now, just graduating from the university, they still think that you would make a good boyfriend." She gave me a sardonic grin as if remembering something somewhat irritating. "A lot of them have been begging me to ask you if you would want to take any of them on a date after graduation."

I shrugged at her hinting. "Well, I'm sorry to disappoint your friends, but I won't date someone the same age as you or younger. It would be too weird; besides, Yamato would never permit it."

Hikari tried to stifle her laughter but couldn't manage. "Yamato-san told you that you couldn't date younger women? Ne, 'nii-chan, since when did he dictate who you could and couldn't date? You're the one that usually gives orders, not him."

"Well, apparently the rules change when you get engaged. Just because I'm single while he's almost married, he has the right to tell me how to manage my love life," I grumbled, jabbing my hands into my pockets. "That jerk—I didn't punch him enough when we were younger." Hikari giggled lightly as she tightened her hold on my arm.

"He's just worried about you, 'nii-chan. Now that he's going to happily settle down, he simply wants the same for you. And really, everyone else is worried too. Ever since junior high, you haven't dated anyone or said anything about seeing someone—we're afraid that you won't love," she murmured while giving me a concerned expression. "That isn't true, right?"

_It's not that I won't love—I can't love someone who isn't there._ "No, it isn't true. I just haven't found someone yet." I patted her on the head affectionately. "Not that you would know what that's like: you knew Takeru since your first days in elementary school."

Blushing, she stammered, "D-Don't forget, 'nii-chan, that tomorrow we have a wedding shower for them. Make sure you show up on time or else Sora-san will be really mad. Remember, she wants everything to be perfect, and that includes you to behave."

"She's expecting the impossible from me, isn't she? And she should know better, knowing me as long as she has." I then couldn't help but sigh at the thought of the oncoming, fantastic wedding between two of my best friends. The couple voted most-likely-to-get-married-successfully-and-have-a-loving-family in high school: the Perfect Couple, Takenouchi Sora and Ishida Yamato. My childhood crush would marry my childhood rival. _My life is too ironic for my own good or my health._

Walking a little longer, we reached the school gate. I handed Hikari her school bag and told her when I would be done with work that night. After watching her go into the school, I started walking back home to get ready for work.

_Today is another day, another chance for me to make a difference. I wonder what I'll accomplish._ I took in a deep breath of morning air. The chilly air made me energetic, but that spark of energy quickly burned out; I felt myself grow suddenly weak. Everything around me rocked and wavered, and my vision blurred. I stumbled into an alley, knocking a few trash cans in the process.

"What's—what's happening to me?" I barely gasped. It was getting hard to breathe.

I took short, quick gasps of air, and soon I couldn't breathe at all. I coughed, hoping that would clear my throat, but it did nothing for me. The pain from earlier this morning returned, burning my mind to insanity. My head throbbed as this familiar and unbearable pain returned to me.

_Why is this happening again? What's going on? Agh, I feel like I'm going to die from this!_

A sudden chill ran up my spine, a shadow blocking out whatever sunlight I could make out. A familiar voice suddenly shrieked through my mind, "I knew you were powerful—but to have resisted me for so long? My, you're much stronger than what I had anticipated."

The world grew colder as the shadow stepped closer—or was it just me? I began feeling separated from myself, almost as if… "I told you, didn't I? Did you miss me, my dear? Ha, have you enjoyed your last days of life?" I gagged for air when I realized who was speaking to me. The woman from the park…

_Akukin: How did she find me? What is she doing to me? Why—_

"I told you," her voice whispered in my mind. "You would regret ever crossing me. And how I found you: that's easy. I marked you, remember?"

_The bite._

I tried moving, but my limbs rested stiffly by my body. Hearing Akukin laugh in my head, I realized what would happen. I immediately knew, and her increasing cackling only confirmed my fears.

I knew.

I knew I was dying.

And my world went black.


	3. Chapter II

**Author's Note (03.08.2007):** Good evening, everyone (good morning or good afternoon depending on what part of day you're reading this). After so many years since its publish date, I have written a new chapter for "Ashen Kisses." Hopefully this chapter will be a good addition to the story. Please review to tell me your thoughts. Thank you.

* * *

**Ashen Kisses  
Chapter II**

* * *

_Darkness..._ that's all I know right now. Hopeless, lifeless, nothingness: what did I have left? Unattached, I felt nothing and understood a vacuum of what was missing and gone. But then a pinprick of painful light burned, slowly growing and growing, finally enveloping me in searing pain.

When I awoke from death, the most burning hunger for life consumed me. While painfully rolling onto my stomach and struggling onto my feet, I tried fighting my hunger. But it was over whelming, that single desire infused into my very being. Without sight I took no notice of my surroundings other than noting how many creatures with life surrounded me. I wanted it—their Life!

_Go! Go take it! It's yours: they don't deserve it!_

I scrambled towards the sources of Life, ready to take whatever I could. Even in my weakness, I could overtake them all. What I didn't expect was someone to stop me.

"Eh, a fledgling, are you? What are you doing here so far away from a nest? And in such a pathetic state?" The shadow took a step closer. "And of all places, what are you doing alone in my territory?"

I cowered in fear and tried getting away from him as much as I could. His power was immense; with only a twitch of his finger he could kill me, and I knew it well. But so much life! He had Life in his body—not his, but he still had it. How could I get it too?

_He'll take your Life, all of it! Don't go near him… But he has so much of it himself. I can just take it from him, can't I?_

Ignoring all of alarms screaming in my head, I jumped at him. I could take his Life—that would do me for a while. At least then, I could think straight, right? I needed his life, and that would be fine: so much more Life out there.

"Hungry, aren't you? You'd have to be starving to brazenly attack me from the front like you tried." I yelped when his power pushed me against the wall, holding me a foot in the air. What would he do to me? Would he take away the precious little Life I had? Or would he do something worse? Would he—"Fledgling, would you shut up for a second and listen to me?!"

"W-W-What?" a croak asked.

"Just stop broadcasting your dumb thoughts and listen to me for five seconds." His power loosened its hold, telling me he didn't want to kill me. "I don't know why, but I like you. Granted, you're not my fledgling, but whoever turned you also abandoned you—stupidly, might I add, especially with all the potential you have."

And suddenly, I smelled it: Life! Warm, delicious life dribbled into my mouth, rich and creamy, instantly fulfilling. And with this life came visions of centuries: the beginning of civilizations, human life, birth, growth, decay, and death. So much knowledge in one person!

In a matter of seconds and two swallows, the gnawing hunger dissipated and reason returned to me. All of my senses came back: I could see, smell, hear, touch, and taste. When my vision cleared and focused, I looked up into the cold eyes of my savior: piercing silver eyes. _Who is he?_

"Your new master now that you've tasted my blood." Brushing a finger over the slit on his wrist, he instantly healed the wound. He held his hand out towards me and helped me to my feet. "But for now, you may call me Darien." Glancing at me up and down, his expression went blank with a look of indifference. He then returned his attention to my face. "Of course, you would be one of hers. Ugh, she really is an idiot, throwing a perfectly good fledgling aside. Someone really needs to kill her."

"Wait, you know who did this to me?" My voice grew steadier as strength came back to me. And then the rush of memories from the blood came back to me. "You know Akukin?"

Darien simply smirked and brushed back his dark hair with his hand. "You want to kill her, don't you? Well, don't even bother." Nodding his head, he prompted me to follow him.

As I managed to stumble after him, I realized where I was. I stood in the middle of the park two blocks from my parents' apartment, three away from the high school. _How the hell had I gotten here?_

"See, you don't even know how to control your powers yet: can barely walk at this point." I felt some of Darien's power tugging at me and holding me up, helping me walk along. As my strength returned, he withdrew his supporting power bit by bit. "If you confront her now, she'll end your pathetic existence in an instant. Even thought she doesn't do Kinmuku's line justice, she's still been around a hell more millennia than you."

Anger and frustration boiled in me. "Then what am I supposed to do? How am I supposed to avenge myself? She ruined everything!"

Turning towards me, Darien froze me with a simple, cool glance. "Go home—go home and rest. Try and figure yourself out a little."

"What do you mean?"

"You're a vampire now, you just died. But no one in your family knows, and looking at you, you don't have the slightest idea how to control your powers or hunger." He pointed in the direction towards my parents' apartment. "First fix things with your family, and I'll come back and teach you how to be a proper vampire." Darien increased his aura to fly away, but I stopped him. I don't know how, but I managed to do it.

"How will I reach you?"

"Oh, don't worry, I'll find you," he chuckled while unlocking my power from his aura. "Besides, I already know where you live, Yagami Taichi."

* * *

While walking home, I tried to process what had happened to me. So much at once: I didn't know if I could—but I remembered Darien's glare and knew that I could and would. I had to figure things out, accept them for what they were now. 

And that's when it sunk in.

_I'm a vampire._

I felt myself wretch simply realizing that. I was a vampire—I needed blood now to survive, to continue living—if that's what I wanted to call it—in this world. Already, not ten minutes being a vampire I had already drank blood. Why? Why didn't I have some self control? Of all things, when I hated Darkness so much, why couldn't I fight the urges and be stronger? Why did that hunger control me so effortlessly? _Why had I surrendered to the Darkness?_

But what side am I on now? Am I good? Am I bad?

Ever since the time in Deijitaru, I've always considered myself a part of the Light and a fighter against Darkness. There were even vampires there in Deijitaru, and they were our enemies. In fact, the king of vampires gave us the worst battle of all, nearly connecting to our world and destroying it. Always since, I've thought as vampires our most dangerous enemies of all. But now I'm one of them… what can I do?

I didn't even realize vampires _existed_ in our world. However…Gennai had said that vampires weren't native in Deijitaru. They had traveled from our world to his—so really, vampires originated from our world. It was home to this evil.

_Evil? But Darien saved me. He didn't even know me._ He had given me his blood and saved my life. Even though he was a vampire, he had shown me compassion and mercy. Even though a creature of Darkness, he had done something good. So he couldn't be evil, could he?

Remembering his appearance, he didn't seem evil. Yes, he everything he wore was black, and he did have an intimidating aura with his manly build and strong gaze. But then again, when you looked as attractive as he did, who wouldn't be intimidating? Looks were deceiving, as Akukin proved: beautiful did not automatically mean good. But unlike her, Darien hadn't exuded pure evil.

_But they're of the same race—they're capable of the same things. What makes them different from each other? They're both vampires, they're both a part of evil. But then again…He saved my life. And he didn't even ask for anything in return._ Shaking my head and sighing, my voice croaked, "I don't know anymore."

After walking and thinking for an hour, I finally reached the apartment and cringed from memory. Only now did I realize how Hikari would be worried. Looking at my watch, it was late into the night, far past the time I usually came in if late from work. I've been missing for hours and without any contact: Hikari would be unhappy.

Putting my hand on the doorknob, I prepared myself for her tears, sobs, worry, and wrath. When I pushed open the door, four faces surprised me and stared at me from the living room. Sora, Yamato, and Takeru sat with Hikari. My initial reaction was, "Eh? What are you guys doing here?"

_Taichi!_

_Thank God he's all right!_

_He came home!_

_Huh? _All together, before I could say or think anything else, they managed to run from the couch and embrace me with shocking strength. And in unison, they cried out, "Taichi, you're home! We were so worried about you. Where have you been?"

_He's all right—but why does he look so…_

Again, that voice. It sounded like Sora, but she hadn't said anything. So where had that voice—"Are you all right?" Sora put a hand on my face and stared at me worriedly. "You look like you died."

_He's so pale and weak. Did someone attack him? Is he injured?_

I knew that Sora had said something, but while looking at her unmoving mouth, I knew that was impossible. So what was going on? What in the world was I hearing? When I became a vampire, did I gain the abilities to hear ghosts?

Hikari continued holding me, afraid of letting me go. "Were you kidnapped? Abducted? What happened to you, 'nii-chan?"

All I could do was return her embrace. "I'm sorry, I don't remember what happened," I lied. I couldn't tell her the truth, especially her. During the fight against vampires in Deijitaru, Hikari's friend Wizar sacrificed himself to save her and her magic partner Tail, the latter severely abused by vampires all her life. Being spiritually connected to her magic partner, Hikari felt the same way about vampires as Tail did. No way could I tell my sister what I had become and not expect hatred towards me. I could never tell her. "All I remember is walking to work, meeting with these weird people… and then waking up and coming home." I shrugged. "I'm sorry that I worried you."

"You've been missing for two days, 'nii-chan," my sister said with grave seriousness. "If you didn't come in tonight, I would have called Okaa-san and Otou-san and the police."

_Two days? I've been missing for two days?_ "So why didn't you call them? What stopped you from reporting immediately?"

"Well, we thought, 'what if Deijitaru summoned him again?' If that was the case, reporting that you were missing would only create more problems." Yamato looked at me with worry in his eyes. "So we waited and tried figuring what was going on." _We were also afraid that you were avoiding us, purposely missing our wedding shower._

As the news sank in, I groaned at my stupidity. "I'm sorry that I missed your wedding shower." I smacked a hand on my head, feeling guilty that they had reason to believe I didn't want to celebrate with them. Did they still think I haven't moved past that? "I can't believe I missed that. I'm sorry, Yamato, Sora, I really am."

"It's all right," Sora smiled, taking my hand and leading me towards the couch. "As long as you're fine, everything is okay."

_But it isn't—and I'm scared._

She turned and faced me. "Did you say something, Taichi?"

"No, I didn't." I prayed that my face gave nothing away and prayed even harder that Yamato or Hikari wouldn't notice my efforts. I followed after my friends and my sister and rested on the couch, hoping that from simply looking at ease I could give them peace.

_I should go make something for him—he looks half-starved._ Sora stood up and went to the kitchen, and the others asked her why. "To make something for him, of course! Look at him, he looks like he hasn't eaten these last two days."

But I had already heard that…Why would she need to say so twice? "But you already said that, Sora."

"What?"

"Never mind." With one glance at her face, I knew she didn't know. In fact, her thoughts told me so…Wait, her thoughts?

And then I realized what all these voices were. They were _them_. I could hear my friends' thoughts. Then I understood what Darien had said earlier; now I could hear my own thoughts, loud and magnified ringing in my mind—and with a twist of my will, I blocked them from the others.

But how? How did I know how to do this?

_The memories from Darien…He knows how to do all._

But I would worry about that later. Now I could think freely, and the others would never know. They would never see or even imagine the horror I had been through or ever discover my secret: that Darkness was amongst them.

_Could he have seen her again? Did that vampire woman take her revenge on Taichi like she promised? Could that be it?_

I dared not to look up at Yamato. Doing so would only confirm his thoughts and reveal that I knew what he thought. Even though he was no vampire, just by looking me in the eye he could read my mind like a book.

* * *

I spent the next two days in the apartment with Hikari, reassuring her that I wouldn't disappear mysteriously again. She wanted to stay with me another day, but I reminded her that she still needed to go to school. After much arguing and fussing for hours on end, I released a sigh of relief when she finally stepped out the door with Takeru escorting her to school. 

Finally, I had time alone and thinking by myself. While I rested from Hikari's worries, I thought about my future. And I laughed miserably.

What future? What future did I have now that I was dead? And what would I do now? Granted, I had functioned normally in front of the people that knew me best; they had been unable to guess the truth. But could I continue doing so forever? Eventually they would notice my inability to age. Vampires after all lived for great periods of time: Akukin proved that.

But when they noticed, what would I do then? By then, acting would be too late. Not to mention, Yamato already suspected something related to Akukin.

I shook the thoughts from my head and went to my bed. Tired from worrying and thinking, I hoped that some sleep would improve my condition.

At night, the hunger came back.

In the beginning, it slowly gnawed at me; gradually, it became overwhelming. Luckily, when I raced out the door to sate my hunger, Hikari had fallen fast asleep five hours ago. I wandered through the city, trying to figure out how I would survive.

Survive? How would I survive?

_I'm already dead._

_Yes, you're right, you're already dead. But I wonder if that's going to help you get ride of your blood lust?_

I froze at the sound of the thought in my mind. Looking right and left, I called out nervously, "Darien?"

With an easy chuckle, he appeared from behind me. "You're better about blocking your thoughts now." Sporting his black theme like before, he strolled towards me with a satisfied smile. "I give you another day, and you'll have perfected the technique completely. I knew you were a quick study."

"You found me?" I turned to face him, uneasy having such a powerful vampire appearing from behind.

"I told you I would." He gave me a look up and down and shook his head. "Relax, fledgling, I'm not going to kill you. Sorry that I appeared from behind: a force of habit." Nudging his head towards deeper into the park, he murmured, "Here, follow me."

Without thinking of any consequences, I followed him. "Where are we going?"

"We're going to find something to eat."

I followed him deeper into the park until we reached the center. Without a word, he motioned me to take a seat on the bench and to remain silent. Walking across the path, Darien took a spot across from me.

_What are we waiting for?_

_You'll see—here she comes._ As we spotted a runner coming closer, Darien put out all the lights. Even in the blinding darkness, she unfalteringly continued her pace. I felt the girl lured towards us with his powers: but that was just to tell her where we were. She came to Darien willingly.

_Cute, isn't she?_

He led the girl towards the bench and sat her next to me. Whispering into her ear, he tilted her neck and placed a hand over her eyes. When he removed his hand, she was asleep. _Now, come feed a little—but make sure you don't push her too hard._

Having no idea what to do, I relied on my instincts. I moved closer to the girl and brushed her hair away from the nape of her neck. Feeling my fangs enlarge, I felt for her pulse with my tongue and bit as gently as I could. She jumped a little, but Darien quickly calmed her with his powers.

All of my symptoms and aggravations disappeared as precious, deliciously warm Life trickled down my throat. I saw her stressful day at work, the little sister she wished to raise, her hopes, and her dreams. I could feel her longing and disappointment as a man walked past her and her heart-wrenching memories of an old love. As I took blood from her, I read her life as well. After taking ten delicious gulps, I felt her life begin to wane and released her from my bloody kiss.

Getting up, I helped Darien lay the girl on the bench comfortably. After healing her wound, he directed me to another part of the park. When I felt we could speak again, I asked, "How did you do that?"

"What, send you my thoughts? Like I told you, I'll give you another day, maybe some instruction, and you'll have this thought business down."

That hadn't been my question, but I accepted the answer anyway. All in due time: eventually, I would learn everything, I guess. "Why are you helping me?"

"You're interesting, for a vampire—at least for a new one, anyway. Most new fledglings would have died or gone insane without blood for three days. You, on the other hand," Darien smirked at me, a glint in his silver eyes, "have done so without serious symptoms except minor hunger pains."

A bout of nervousness hit me. "Is it that bizarre?"

He laughed, signifying the ridiculousness of my question. "Only when you're a new vampire and have had only two gulps of blood as a starter: granted, that blood was mine, but that's still odd for a new fledgling. Now I'm going to teach you how to feed by yourself." We stopped at another bench in the depths of the park, taking similar positions we had before.

"Without killing?" I thought of the girl I had drank from earlier, wondering if she would be all right.

"Yes, without killing. But I will say, you did well on your own, albeit unconsciously," he chuckled. "Now listen and watch closely." As he spoke his instructions, they occurred in that order. Another solitary runner appeared from the darkness.

"You lure your prey to you, to test her willingness and resistance. You're naturally good-looking, so you'll have to use less energy to make your appearance appealing: lucky you." Darien turned his attention towards the prey in question. "Simply put some power behind your will; will her to come towards you, to look at you. Once she makes eye contact, she won't be able to resist."

Listening to his advice, I stared at the oncoming runner and focused my will. _Look at me, please. Please notice me._

Like my mentor said, the girl's mind gave little resistance against my calling and she looked at me straight in the eyes. In a matter of seconds, I had her hypnotized and sitting beside me complacently. "Very good," Darien congratulated me with a small smile. "Now, there will be some humans that are able to resist your simple hypnosis technique. If you ever encounter one, run away as quickly as possible. Most of the time they're spiritualists or vampire hunters—either way, it would be idiocy to hang around after using your powers on them."

He then returned my attention to the girl. "When you bite them, it'll always be somewhat painful—unless, of course, they're dead." Fear flooded me at the thought of giving her pain or possibly killing her, and Darien intercepted my panic. "Don't worry about hurting her too much. Just remind yourself exactly what you want from each person and maintain control over your emotions."

Taking deep breaths to simply calm myself, I pulled the strings of my power to strengthen the hypnosis._ If I can blanket her senses enough, she won't be in as much pain._ I remembered Darien's advice and imagined myself simply kissing her neck affectionately. Like the first girl, she gasped suddenly when my fangs punctured her skin; however, this time I was prepared and eased her mind towards pleasure.

While I drank, Darien's voice reminded, "Also, you shouldn't have more than five gulps of from each person if you don't plan on killing her. Sometimes it varies between humans; but if you want to be sure, then just tap into their Life and read how much blood you can take."

Oddly, I knew what he meant. Recalling the same sensation from the first girl, I found her life shining and intact, continuously producing. But now, it dimmed slightly, and something else now cried for Life—_Holy shi—_"She's pregnant!" I yelled while breaking away from her.

Placing a hand on the woman's forehead, Darien smirked when he read her thoughts and felt the second life inside. "Huh, that's interesting."

I felt myself panicking again. "Interesting?! What if I hurt them? Will she be all right? Will her baby be fine? Did I take too much blood? Damn, damn, what if I—"

Darien sighed tiredly and placed a hand on my shoulder. I felt my powers instantly compressed, along with my emotions. "Did you feel the baby's Life waning while you drank?"

I thought back for a moment. "No."

"Then he's fine."

"But what about—"

"Turning people?"

_Did he read my mind or does he just know?_ I nodded my head reluctantly. "Yes."

"The intent of your bite will determine its purpose," he answered while healing the teeth marks on the mother-to-be. Motioning with his hand, I followed him away from the resting woman. "If you just want blood to feed on, then it's a simple bite to create an opening for blood flow." We walked out of the park and into the city, steadily winding our way through dark alleys. "If you want a new fledgling, you'll insert a part of your self into the action and mark them, waiting for them to react and die."

"Wait, what?!"

He laughed at me, "Not physically, idiot. Turning is more spiritual than physical. You didn't turn either women or the baby. They're fine."

Breathing a sigh of relief, I took a moment to process everything I had just learned. To lock my thoughts, to read others' thoughts, to lure prey, to feed on them, to turn others: _Could I do this?_

"You're not certain about yourself, are you? Well, we'll have lessons every night then."

"Every night? But I only need to feed—"

"That's what you think; but that's because your feeding cycle is weird. You're feeding every night until we figure it out." Darien began collecting his power, using it to support him in the air: he was flying. "Also we're meeting every night to improve your skills and make sure you're feeding properly. I don't need you dying off because you don't know how to be your own kind." Pointing towards the roof of a familiar business building, he said, "Meet me there, tomorrow at midnight. Depending on how fast you learn, you might be able to fly properly by the end of the week."

"What?" _Me, fly?_

Before I could ask anything more, he disappeared into the night's shadows. "Be here by midnight!"

* * *

After gulping down my drink, I slid something towards Yamato while he finished his drink. He choked and coughed from the unexpected present. "What's this?" 

"It's the present I couldn't give you two months ago: you know, because I suddenly went missing." I smiled, hoping it would put him at ease. Motioning to the bartender for another glass for the both of us, I added, "I thought it would be better to give it to you a week before the wedding since I missed the shower."

With grace and a grateful expression, he murmured, "Thanks, Taichi."

"You're welcome."

Two months had gone by since my sudden disappearance. After a week of codling and unnecessary worry, my friends finally believed that I could be left alone and safely leave my apartment. My parents returned from their tropical cruise within that week, giving everyone a reason to not talk about my "kidnapping."

Once I had my life back in somewhat order, I invited Yamato out for drinks. Tonight, we were mentally preparing him for his transition from attached-to-the-hip-to-Sora Yamato to married—ah, there isn't a difference, is there? We just wanted an excuse to drink and talk, like we always did while we both were bachelors.

Yamato then spoke up. "Taichi, we can talk about anything, right?"

"Eh?" His tone surprised me; suspicion dripped from it, suspicion I feared. But I couldn't let him know that there was anything to suspect. "Of course, that's why we do this from time to time."

Pushing his new glass away, he faced me and sighed. "Then what's going on? What's changed in your life?"

"My life?"

"You're different, Taichi: very different," he murmured reluctantly. He sounded if he regretted starting this conversation; however, he felt this was a necessary evil. "You're not at all like the person you were two months ago, and I'm worried."

"What do you mean?" I laughed. "How am I not Yagami Taichi, the same one you knew two months ago?"

He glared at me with his icy blue eyes, eyes two months ago that could have read me like an open book. But now, they would only see what I wanted them to see. "Your style, the way you speak, how you carry yourself: everything is far too cool and elegant. You're clean cut and cold, not at all like yourself. Your hair is shorter and groomed; you're on time now to everything, sometimes even early; you laugh less now." Yamato ran his hand through is blond hair and sighed while finishing his drink in one gulp.

Setting his cup back down, a sad smile rested on his face while he stared into the reflecting glass. "Taichi, people and animals liked you without even knowing you, but now, as soon as anyone catches sight of you, they're a little intimidated." He continued playing with the glass, avoiding eye contact. "You were always open and relaxed, but all through tonight, you're tense and almost reclusive."

_That's because there are so many vampires out tonight. If it weren't for me being a vampire, number of them would have jumped us and attacked you—damn you, Yamato, for being such a chick magnet._ I smiled at him the best I could. "Well, maybe I'm finally growing up."

"Eh?" He looked up at me in dumb surprise. He definitely hadn't expected that. Well, all the more better for me.

Leaning back into my seat, I said with a grin, "I've learned to focus my energy into something instead of trying to do everything at once. I may be five years late, but I'm finally becoming an adult, Yamato."

I could sense his flustered emotions. He felt embarrassed about giving the impression that he didn't think of me as an adult. "That's not what I mean, Taichi. And you've always been an adult, it's just—"

"Yamato, what would you have done if I had changed sides in Deijitaru?"

"What?"

Swirling the drink in my cup, I asked before I drank, "What would have done, Yamato? What would you have done had I gone over to the Darkness?"

"I don't know—probably the same thing you did to me." He shifted in his seat, obviously uncomfortable with the question. I wondered what he thought about me at that point but refrained from reading his thoughts; I had promised myself to only read minds when it was necessary. Yamato then laughed at an old memory. "Do you remember that? I was the one who did change sides in Deijitaru. But I can't imagine you ever switching sides."

Sudddenly, I felt surprised. "Eh? Why not?"

With a bittersweet expression, he explained, "I was confused and conflicted when I betrayed everyone: I didn't know what I wanted." He finished his drink and flagged down the bartender for another. "But you—you knew exactly what needed to be done, always. You always knew what we had to do and who you were. And even when I joined the Darkness, my turmoil only increased. Nothing changed." The bartender served Yamato another drink. With a solemn expression, he took a thoughtful sip. "So when you took me back, I swore I would never betray you ever again. I would never have anything to do with the Darkness again."

I felt the sincerity of his words seeping into my undead heart. _Betray—he refers his actions as betrayal. He spent a few weeks being manipulated by Darkness and feels that he betrayed us all. So what am I now? What am I now, a person who has transformed into the Darkness?_

"Taichi…back then…you were right."

Fished from my thoughts, I looked up at Yamato in surprise. "What?"

"Everything you said about me during that fight, you were right," he murmured while putting his face in his hands. "I was selfish and weak. I probably hurt the team more than anyone else—and Takeru must have been so scared. You were right when you called me a coward."

"Hey, that was years ago. We're different and we've matured, so—"

"Taichi, promise you won't leave us." Gripping my sleeve in his hand, he glared at me with a purpose. "When you disappeared while we were in Deijitaru, our team broke apart and we almost didn't survive. Promise you won't do that to us again."

I patted my friend on the back and said evenly, "I'm not going anywhere, Yamato."

_I've frozen here, in this moment of time. I can't move on with everyone, live on like you and Sora. I'll never have Life again. I'm locked here, with Time._

"I'm not going anywhere."

* * *

After a couple of more hours of talking and reminiscing, Yamato and I parted ways. I then went to my training grounds in the park, the area Darien had assigned to meet him every night since the beginning. 

Once I stepped through the barrier he created, I felt my body attacked by immense pressure. By force of habit from nights and nights of practice, I pushed back the pressure by increasing the density of my aura: a form of weight training, only with vampire auras. I found Darien resting in a tree at the center of the grounds. Without introduction, he began saying, "Have you noticed something peculiar about your friend Yamato?"

Always Darien impressed me with his knowledge and perception. _Exactly how old and powerful is he?_ He had told me that he was simply an average vampire with average powers; however, as I sensed more and more of our kind in the city, I sensed that Darien was far from "average." After all, how could an "average" vampire create a barrier as powerful as this one? "Have you noticed it too?"

He shrugged nonchalantly. "Well, I've known for sometime, I just didn't know how to tell you about it. Since you met with him today, I thought it would be perfect to bring it up now."

_You're waiting for the opportune moment? Is it something that serious, Darien?_ "What is he, exactly?"

He smirked at the thoughts I had sent him. "Yes, it might be something serious. But, you never know if it could just be a fluke. I didn't want to offend you by saying something you might think completely off base." He jumped from the tree and landed gracefully beside me. "Besides that, I don't know exactly what he is yet. But give me a day, three days at most, and I'll have the answer."

I sighed and focused enough of my energy to sit in midair. I had mastered floating and flying two weeks after learning how to manipulate my image. "Hikari almost figured it out yesterday. Fortunately, I debunked her theory by spending all day in the sun with her and eating lots of garlic."

"Sun and garlic, eh?" Darien laughed with me, both of us knowing how false some vampire legends were about our weaknesses. Vampires haven't feared the sun in over five centuries, and the garlic had always been an old wives' tale. Granted, silver weapons were fatal as well as stakes, but crosses had no effects on us. One truth that I had most trouble concealing was my lack of reflection.

"At least for sure I know she's starting to put things together," I sighed with a shake of my head. "It won't be long before she realizes the truth. Once she realizes that I don't have a reflection anymore then I'm done for."

"You'll have to create a death scene."

I cringed at the thought, the subject always a sore spot for me. Darien had mentioned early in my training the need for a death scene before anyone close to me discovered the truth. However, because I wanted to pretend that I still had my humanity for a short while, I procrastinated and avoided the topic as much as possible. But now, I couldn't avoid it any longer. "How soon do you think?"

"It all depends on your sister and Yamato." Darien toyed with his powers and twisted it to change the color and length of his long black hair. With short auburn hair, he gazed at me with his steely silver eyes. "If they get any closer to the truth, they'll be in danger. I give it about a week before it becomes far too dangerous."

"Yamato's wedding is next week. He won't figure it out by then—he'll be too focused on his marriage." I frowned while shaking my head in frustration. "And it wouldn't be great if his friend died right after his wedding. I'll postpone until a better time, at least after the honeymoon."

Sensing a crackle in the barrier, I knew Darien felt displeased with my reluctance. "But your sister might discover the truth in that time. Either way, once someone discovers the truth, it'll be too late. You need to act now."

_Your family and friends will only suffer from your inactivity!_

I didn't respond to Darien's thoughts because he spoke the truth. I bowed my head in defeat, knowing that I had no choice. "You're right."

Changing the subject, Darien then inquired, "Have you decided on a name yet?"

"No," I answered honestly. "I have no idea what to choose as a name." I frowned as I remembered another problem. Vampires had two names: the name they were born with and the name they received when reborn. Since Akukin had left me for dead, I never received a second name. Thus, Darien tasked me to pick one for myself—if I had any hopes of surviving in the Underworld, I needed a new name.

"Well," Darien grinned, "I guess it's up to me to give you one." Motioning me to come down, he had me kneel before him and touched a finger to my forehead. "Since you're descended from Kinmuku's line through Akukin, your new name is Kogane." A jolt of my history and my bloodline's history raced through my mind as I grasped my new identity.

"Thank you, Darien, I—did you feel that?" I whirled around and faced the east side of my territory. A vampire had forced her way into territory without paying some sort of homage or asking for permission. In fact, she had wanted me to know about her presence…but why?

"She's a strong and old vampire," Darien whispered. "Too bad she isn't as wise as she is old."

My eyes widened in realization. I recognized that malevolent aura. And fear gripped my heart when I realized towards where it headed. "It's Akukin—and she's after Hikari!"


	4. Chapter III

**Author's Note (09.08.2008):** It's been a while since I've updated this story. Almost exactly a year since I've written a new chapter: so sorry to everyone that's reading. Anyway, I hope everyone enjoys this new chapter and will give me tons of feedback on the quality of my writing. Thank you and please read and review.

* * *

**Ashen Kisses  
Chapter III**

* * *

_What the hell is she doing here? Of all places, of all times, and of all people, why is she here and after Hikari? If she harmed my sister in anyway, I would kill her,_ I thought. If something happened to Hikari, I would never be able to forgive myself; especially after Darien's warning, I would never forgive myself.

I pushed myself as fast as I could, flying past and over apartments and business buildings towards one place. The world blurred by me as I focused as much power as I could afford into my speed: I would need a lot of energy if my intruder intended to fight. But those were all secondary thoughts. I prayed desperately that I would reach Hikari before Akukin did.

I didn't feel Darien's powerful aura or his usual restrictive barrier pulling against my flight and wondered where he went. But I did not think too much about it, because as soon as I reached the apartment ledge, I saw Akukin inside with a hypnotized Hikari. "Get your hands off of her!" I yelled as I stormed into Hikari's bedroom. I flared my aura and pushed it against Akukin's, hoping to smother her powers and render them useless.

Reflexively she pushed back, but because I surprised her, I easily took advantage of her and held her powers at a standstill. She had spent much of her energy in creating a silencing barrier around Hikari's room and hypnotizing my sister; she did not have enough power to retaliate effectively against my aura. Realizing herself cornered, she pulled Hikari's unconscious body close to her and bared her fangs near my sister's neck. "Take a step closer, and I'll kill her."

Her words made me freeze.

Seeing my hesitation and a slight release on her powers, Akukin focused her energy and launched an attack. Fortunately, Darien arrived then and swallowed her energy into his immense aura. Furious that her attack did not hit, she prepared another until she saw who had absorbed it. "You!" she screamed frantically. In less than a second, she released Hikari and fled from the room, an instant later fleeing my territory.

I watched Akukin's form merge with the night's shadows, all the while wondering about her expression when she saw Darien. It didn't surprise me that she knew him—vampires kept in close circles—but Akukin was one of the oldest, if not strongest, vampires in Japan. Why had she run in fear from Darien?

_But who had time to care about that witch?_ Not giving Akukin another thought, I rushed to my sister to assess the damage and felt a part of my soul wither when I saw fang marks in her pale, tender neck. I then noticed the faint trace of Akukin's aura surrounding Hikari and knew that it was too late. "You need to take her someplace away from here," Darien ordered both out loud and mentally. I could feel his urgency and impatience. "If she's reborn amongst your family, you'll have a family of vampires—not to mention every hunter in the nation on your tail."

_Who cares?!_ I screamed in my thoughts. _Akukin just _turned_ my little sister! She murdered her hopes, her future! She stole from Hikari everything she stole from me—what I wanted to protect…And I failed—I failed to—_

"You don't have time for this, Kogane!" he scolded while using his powers to pull me to my feet. Shoving me aside, he lifted Hikari into his arms and flew out of the apartment. "Come, we'll take her to your place. There, you can make up a story for your parents."

I nodded dumbly, realizing how right Darien was. I needed to hold myself together for Hikari's sake. Remembering when I had turned…I vowed that Hikari would not suffer all the fear and confusion I had. I would guide her through the Darkness. Maybe then, hopefully, she would find her own Light and become something I couldn't.

Without another word, I fixed Hikari's room and followed Darien back to my apartment.

* * *

Hours and hours passed while my sister slept without movement. She rested on my bed as still as death, which only made me more anxious. I stayed awake throughout the night and well into daylight, never leaving her side. When Hikari finally opened her eyes, I felt immensely relieved—but a great burden still remained. "How do you feel?" I asked while she slowly sat up.

"What are you doing here, 'nii-chan?" she yawned while rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She unconsciously rubbed her neck to ease the ebbing pain.

My voice caught in my throat for a second, but I forced myself to speak. "You're at my place right now."

She stopped rubbing and looked around to confirm my words. Once the information sank in, she stared at me with such an expression that broke my heart over and over again. God, what I wouldn't have done to prevent that look from forming on her face ever again. "Then…what happened last night really happened didn't it? That woman really is a vampire, isn't she?"

"Yes."

At my response, I could sense her mood darkening: from sadness or anger, I didn't know. "So I was right."

I could only nod at her blunt voice. "You are right. I'm a vampire."

A silence overtook us while the words hung painfully in the air. I watched Hikari pull her knees against her and tremble at the weight of her new reality. At first, her breath quickened, and then I saw some tears collecting in her eyes. Eventually, she managed to cry out at me, "But how is it possible? You, of all people, how can you be a vampire?" Even though she did not want to be cruel, I could hear her thoughts._ He knows how I feel about them, how they've hurt Tail and me—what they did to Wizar. How—why is he one of them?_

I reached out to her face and murmured, "Hikari, I'm sorry that I've betrayed you like this."

She looked up at me in surprise. "What are you—"

"Right now, you're sending me your thoughts so I know how you feel." Her ruby eyes widened in surprise and in embarrassment. She wanted to turn away from me, but I stopped her and pulled her into my arms. "And truly, I'm sorry that I've betrayed you like this. And even now, I regret that you've been bitten by Akukin. I wished I could make it so that this never happened, especially to you!"

Growing rigid in my arms, Hikari began trembling again. Slowly, she pulled out of my arms and looked at my face. Simply by gazing into my golden eyes, she knew what fate awaited her. "I'm going to be one? I'm going to be a vampire?!"

I said nothing in response to her questions, knowing that whatever I said would only worsen the situation. Instead, I gave her a few moments to grasp her new reality and gently explained, "You need to stay here. If you die and are reborn amongst other humans, you'll kill them. You'll either kill them or make more vampires, something I know you hate to even think about." I tried my best to keep my voice steady and assuring, hoping that it would give her confidence in her existence. She needed the courage, and I needed her to remain as calm as she possibly could be.

Without looking at me, she asked, "I'm going to die?"

I closed my eyes and tried to fight back my feelings. "Yes."

"What about Okaa-san and Otou-san?"

"What about them?"

"What are we going to do about it, 'nii-chan?" she demanded with a hint of anger in her voice. "We can't just leave them like this!"

"We can't tell them the truth—and I don't think we're ready to disappear from the World of the Living yet. So right now, we don't do anything." I sighed about the entire situation, thinking about the hell we would soon face together. "We continue as if nothing has changed."

Of course, my sister could not agree with me. "But everything has changed!"

"Don't you think I understand that? I know that nothing is the same!" I lashed back. "I've been living like this for the last few months, if you haven't realized this by now. It's hard to pretend that I'm still alive, that I'm still human! It's hard to look at everyone, living and growing while I'm stuck here frozen! I know that nothing is the same!"

Immediately Hikari pulled back and I felt her withdraw. _He's right… I said something I shouldn't have._ Through her thoughts, I could feel her tremble and shake with fear and regret. Guilt stabbed me as I realized that I had hurt my sister in my anger and frustration.

"Hikari, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have yelled or said that. You…you'll be having a hard time soon, and I should be supporting you right now." I groaned helplessly and sat down, scratching my head in frustration. "Damn it! What kind of older brother am I?" Why could I not do anything right at this point?

Surprisingly, my sister approached me and gently embraced me. Even though she would be the one suffering, she had the heart and the care to comfort me. Really, I was such a bastard. "Onii-chan…" Why did she always forgive me so easily?

As much as I loved her warm hold on me, I pulled her away and looked her directly in the eye. "Hikari, you might hate me at this point, but I need you to listen to me. You need to stay here until you die."

"Eh?"

"Like I said earlier, if you die while you're somewhere else in public, you'll most likely lose control and kill innocent people. You might even accidentally make more vampires." It was a miracle for me, I knew, when Darien had appeared for then. Thanks to him, I had been able to live and had not created more vampires—or even killed an innocent person. At the very least, I wanted to offer a clear conscience to Hikari too. "You and I both don't want to take that chance, so you must stay here." I looked away, embarrassed and ashamed that I was having this conversation with her. "And if you stay here, I can help you make it less painful."

She inched closer to me and tugged at my sleeve like how she used to when we were younger. In a quiet voice I had not heard in years, she asked, "How much will it hurt, 'nii-chan?"

"Not as much as it hurt for me," I promised her.

Hikari said nothing for a moment. I figured she was trying to take in everything and understand what was happening to her. She also was probably trying to decide if she could trust me at this point. But when she finally did say something, I felt a flood of relief because of her faith in me. "How long will I have to wait, 'nii-chan?"

"I died within a day of my bite," I said while putting a hand on her head. "And then I awoke two days later. If you recall, that's the time I went missing two months ago. But Darien says that it differs with each vampire."

"Who is Darien?"

"I'll introduce him later, when he decides to show up. But first, rest," I ordered her while pushing her back onto the bed. "We'll work through this as it progresses."

"Where will you sleep, 'nii-chan?" Before I could answer, Hikari grabbed my hand and patted the spot beside her on my bed. "Just stay with me tonight. Will you just stay with me until it's over? Please, 'nii-chan?"

"It's the least I could do for you." As soon as she scooted over, I slid in next to her on the bed and laid there until I could hear her steady breathing. I watched her sleep soundly, always feeling guilty about this quiet time being her last moments of peace of her life.

I felt real fear as the sun peaked and dawn came.

When morning came in full bloom, Hikari began feeling death and died when the sun hit noon. Darien came to my apartment the instant she lost consciousness. "She died much quicker than expected: close to average, I say. Maybe she's not as powerful as you."

"Does it matter?" I couldn't help to snap. "The fact that she's dead is bad enough." Sitting up and looking at her, I felt the guilt attacking me in waves. I brushed away a lock of hair from her still, lifeless face.

"Well," Darien chuckled while he walked towards my sister, "she won't be reviving too soon. You'll have enough time to meet your parents and tell them a story explaining why your sister is suddenly missing from home."

Looking from him to Hikari, I questioned, "Are you sure she won't be reborn before I return?"

"Even if she did, I'll stay here to keep watch. I'm still curious about how strong she'll be."

With Darien's assurance and word of promise, I went to my parents to explain Hikari's sudden disappearance. I probably should have felt suspicious about Darien's strong curiosity towards my sister's strength, but at the moment, it didn't matter. And I trusted him far too much to think that he would harm us. So when I met my parents, I was able to them with some ease, "She wanted some room to think."

"Room to think? What does she need to think about?" my mother asked in concern.

"Ah, Hikari-chan has boy-problems; that's all," I laughed as best I could, "and she can't handle them properly when she's at home and anyone can influence her feelings. So she wants to hide away at my place until she makes a decision."

"A decision? About Takeru-kun?" My mother frowned. "Taichi, what's going on with Hikari and Takeru-kun? Is it something serious?"

"No, 'kaa-san, it's nothing serious: just confusing," I assured. "She just wants a change in settings to help her focus—she's not going anywhere else but my home."

"Well, as long as she goes to school, I guess that's fine," my dad agreed while drinking his coffee. "If I hear that she's skipping school, then you'll be in more trouble than her. You understand?"

"Ah, of course," I answered uncertainly. I wondered how my parents figured that this was my fault. It was amazing, a parent's sixth sense for trouble: it always was right, even if a bit out of context.

But that was the least of my worries at this point. When I returned to my apartment, Hikari still had not been reborn. So, as Darien so kindly pointed out, we had a dilemma. "What am I going to do? Someone needs to go to school in Hikari's place. She can't go when she's dead—and if she doesn't go, our cover is blown."

As calmly and coolly as ever, my dark-haired friend said, "I'll send one of my fledglings."

"You have fledglings?"

"A few," he answered as one girl appeared before us. I didn't bother asking how she had entered my territory or how she had appeared so quickly—Darien was definitely much stronger and more important than he let on. The stranger kneeled before Darien, only to be quickly pulled onto her feet by him. "Take a sip of this girl's blood and impersonate her for however long we need," he ordered almost kindly.

The girl nodded mutely as she did what she was told. Before I knew it, I stared into the eyes of Hikari. "She's good," I whistled.

The fake Hikari looked to Darien for approval and allowed him to compare her image to my sister's. Once he approved, she then turned to me and stared into my eyes, her own asking me a question. _Is there anything that I should know about while impersonating your sister?_

"You need to be careful of Takeru-kun," I immediately said. I assumed that the fledgling had done her job and had perused Hikari's most recent memories. Even by remembering the last week through Hikari she would know Takeru very well. "He may be only human, but he knows my sister better than anyone. If you can manage without making it look too suspicious, it's best to avoid him at all costs."

"She's only pretending to be you sister for two days at most," Darien sighed tiredly. "How hard could it be to avoid that boy?"

I stared at him with a slack jaw. "Are you kidding me? They're in love with each other, Darien. They've been close to each other ever since elementary school—and even then, they've helped each other get through life-or-death situations." Thinking of how sensitive Takeru was of Hikari, I groaned. Honestly, that boy really loved my baby sister far too much. "If your fledgling isn't careful, Takeru-kun will know something is wrong at first glance. She must avoid him whenever possible."

"Understood," my sister's stand-in murmured.

I smiled at the familiar voice.

* * *

But of course, Fate would not make it easy for us. Perhaps she wanted to give us opportunity, or so I really hoped.

The first two days, Darien's fledgling avoided Takeru with ease: Hikari's schedule made her busy throughout the day, and Takeru's schedule made it impossible for them to see each other. However, on the third day, when the boy made time to see her, that's when everything began to crumble. Instantly he noticed that something was different with Hikari and tried to ask her what was wrong. Of course, our skilled impersonator assured him that nothing was wrong—she just felt different now that graduation was so close. We thought we had bypassed trouble then: but how wrong we were.

Unexpectedly, the fledgling reported the next day that she and Takeru had gotten into a verbal argument… and many other students had seen them. She furiously apologized for causing unnecessary trouble and attention for my sister; I told her not to worry about it.

"Takeru-kun was bound to know someone was up, so don't worry." I shrugged and combed my hand through my hair. "He is, after all, very much in love with my sister."

"But many of the other students saw the argument," the fledgling murmured nervously. "What will she do about that? And she will have to solve a relational problem that she did not cause or have any memories of because I am responsible."

"Don't worry," I assured while patting her on the head. Smiling, I added, "It'll be all right."

Fortunately for everyone especially Darien's fledgling, Hikari was reborn that weekend, and she awoke fairly mild in temper. Without much fuss or even any violence, Darien and I got her to cooperate and follow our instructions. With one sip of my blood, her hunger disappeared and she was in right mind. I then introduced her to Darien, my mentor and savior, and explained to her what happened while she died and asked her what should be done. Surprisingly, she felt rather calm about the argument and said she and Takeru were bound to have one someday. "Even if it wasn't me," she chuckled softly.

That's when she thought of something brilliant.

"We can use this, 'nii-chan."

"Use what?"

"We should use the time that Takeru bought us," Hikari pressed. "We've never fought each other before, and no one has ever seen us disagree in public—not that I think of anyway. If we made up a story that I was crushed and heartbroken, we could use the time it takes to recover for me to learn about being a vampire."

"And if Takeru-kun comes looking for you to apologize?" I demanded rationally. "Will you have enough control over yourself to convince him that nothing is wrong and you're sincerely the victim of this situation?"

"He won't come looking for me, not when he knows he's in the right," my sister smiled secretly. Looking into her now golden eyes, I knew that she thought about everything she knew about Takeru that the rest of the world did not know. "He'll just wait a few days until I tell him sorry; or he'll just come apologize after those days and will let me tell him when I'm ready."

"You're fairly cool about all of this," I said. I narrowed my eyes in suspicion. "You're far too calm about this whole thing."

Waving a hand at me, Hikari looked towards the window and said absently, "I'll piece my life back together once I know how to function undetected." She faced me with a more determined smile. "Don't worry so much about me, 'nii-chan."

"Fine."

I called my parents and lied to them yet again about Hikari being sick and heartbroken, buying her about three days from school. I told them that Hikari wanted to keep the situation as quiet as possible, not wanting much attention. She just needed time to recover her health and her heart, I reported. Thankfully, they believed me and relayed to the school that Hikari was ill, would miss about three days of school, and could not take visitors.

With our three days, Darien and I trained Hikari as best we could. Surprisingly, she was a quick study and learned everything at an accelerated pace—even faster than myself. "Either way," Darien commented one day, "both of you are odd vampires: no one learns this much so quickly." But what made my sister odder than me was this: without any instruction, she had learned how to manipulate her image.

While she practiced creating various disguises for herself, Darien and I sat in his living room and watched her as she fiddled with her appearance. As we did, we talked and added pressure to her powers with our auras to help her train. That was when I remembered something. "Darien, where were you when I was rushing to save Hikari?"

"What do you mean?" He drank his tea without pause.

"When I was rushing to save her from Akukin, I didn't feel your aura pulling on me anymore—as if you completely disappeared." I toyed with some of my power in my hand, pulling and tugging it so it entangled with Hikari's, thus giving her some difficulty. "Did you just cancel out your aura? What did you do?"

"I didn't do anything," Darien curtly responded. He manipulated his aura so it would not get mixed up with Hikari's and mine.

"What?"

He simply answered, "You cancelled out my aura."

"That's impossible," I laughed weakly. Shakily, I reached out for my teacup and took a sip. "I spent weeks developing my powers just to stand a chance against your aura for five minutes. How in the world could I have cancelled your aura completely? It's just impossible."

"Not at all, Kogane," Darien grinned in a smug fashion. "I'm telling you, you have a lot of potential and power as a vampire."

"Then how did I do it?"

"I'm not sure; but I am sure that you'll be able to do it again one day." He turned his attention towards Hikari, and I could tell by his gaze that he was assessing her. "Now that she's a more than competent vampire, she also will need a new name."

_She's that well off, huh?_ In the Underworld, a competent vampire was one that got by without too much difficulty. However, Darien's standards were far different than the norms. When he called someone "competent," it translated into "superior" to outsiders. And even though Hikari would probably dislike the idea of being a superior vampire, I couldn't help but to feel a little pride on my part.

"Will you rename her, just as you renamed me, Darien?" I asked. "After all, it's you, not Akukin, who raised us to be what we are. In all consideration, you would be our blood-parent instead of her."

"Well, if you insist," he said with a pleased smile. I felt a shiver race through my spine, half from fear and the other half from anticipation. Easily Darien had that effect on people, and I wondered if it was from his own natural ability or something he developed on his rise to power. I would never know, though, unless he decided to tell me one day.

With a twist and pull of his power and Hikari's aura, Darien alerted and signaled her to come towards us. When she stood in front of our couch, he explained to her what was going on. "Your brother, as you've probably noticed by now, is called Kogane throughout the Underworld. It's tradition for a vampire to receive a new name when she is reborn to complete your transformation."

Hikari nodded in understanding.

"Since your wretched blood-mother is a useless hag that deserves death, I will fill in as your blood-parent and rename you. Now come closer and kneel before me." Obediently, Hikari did as she was told, and Darien sat up in his seat. Like how he did for me only some days prior, he did the same and told my sister, "You are the direct granddaughter of Kinmuku as a daughter of Akukin. Your new name will be Takara."

_Takara_, I thought with an amused smile. _You're calling her a "treasure"?_

Darien chuckled in his thoughts. _You are the purest gold of your line, Kogane, while your sister is its golden treasure. In time, you'll understand the nature of your abilities and your fate._

* * *

Yamato and Sora's wedding had been a success, considering Hikari and I had managed to meet all of our friends and loved ones without incident or suspicion. I had been concerned since Hikari, at that point in time, had just mastered basic vampire skills and had just accepted her new reality. What would I do if she had a mental breakdown? What would I do if she lost control of her powers?

Luckily, the wedding completed happily, my two friends now on the last few days of their honeymoon. A month had gone by since the ceremony, and Hikari's life and mine had continued without complications. No one suspected the truth, we fed in peace, and our territory remained safe. With these thoughts, I breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed onto the couch in my living room. Finally, I had a moment of peace!

And of course, in that instant, three quick knocks came upon my door.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

With a groan, I got up and went to my door. I looked through the peephole and saw Hikari shifting on her feet impatiently. Sensing her uneasy aura through the door, I quickly let her in and led her into my living room. "Ne, what are you doing all the way here, Hikari? Is there something wrong?"

"I'm not sure, 'nii-chan," she said while pacing the room. "Well, I thought everything was all right at first…no one noticed a change in me, so it seemed all right."

I couldn't help but frown. "But something happened."

"Takeru noticed something."

I relaxed slightly at the news. Of course he would notice something—he had known her far too long and too well not to notice a change. He had instantly noticed a change when we had used an imposter for Hikari. That did not mean that he knew what had changed, which meant we were still safe. "Hikari, it's natural for Takeru-kun to notice something. After all that you two have gone through together, he probably knows you better than anyone at this point."

"That's what I'm afraid of, 'nii-chan." Biting her lip, Hikari froze and faced me with a serious look in her eyes. "He knows me better than anyone, and I'm afraid that he can see right through the illusion we made."

"Has he said anything to make you think so?"

"No, he hasn't said anything yet."

"So why are you so afraid?"

"Because I know him, 'nii-chan."

Allowing Hikari's words to sink in, I leaned into my seat and closed my eyes in thought. At first glance, my sister's worries seemed irrational and off-base; however, whenever Takeru was involved, her slightest hunches were usually on the mark if not close to it. "Do you really believe that he's noticed?"

"He gave me a look, one that he usually gives me when he has a question to ask but afraid to actually say out loud," she answered with a sigh as she collapsed beside me. "He knows something isn't right: he just can't put his finger on it which is why he isn't saying anything for now. But as soon as he knows, he'll confront me, I know it."

"Well, just don't worry about it too much because then you'll just give yourself away," I tried assuring her while ruffling her hair. "Keep on acting as if nothing ever happened and you should be fine."

"But that's not the main problem."

The tone of Hikari's voice made my already dead heart sink. "Then what is it?"

"A vampire visited me at school today."

My eyes widened in surprise. "What?"

Playing with the edges of her uniform, Hikari explained, "He was waiting for me outside of the gate after school, and Takeru saw us."

I couldn't fight back the grin, knowing what the blond boy's reaction would be. "Oh, so now he's jealous too?"

"Yes—I mean…I don't know, but that's not the problem right now." She sighed tiredly while closing her eyes. "'Nii-chan, his name is Kishiro and he wants me to be his partner."

"Eh?" I turned to her with an open mouth.

Giggling at my reaction, Hikari explained a little more seriously, "I didn't quite understand his offer either, but he wanted me to basically be his mistress or of that sort. Of course I told him 'no,' but he doesn't seem to get the message." She rubbed the sides of her arms as if the temperature had suddenly dropped. "The creep: I felt him following me until I entered your territory; he couldn't break through your barrier."

"Kishiro…" I frowned, not recognizing the name at all. By now, I was fairly familiar with the big vampire names in the city and knew who not to cross and which places to safely avoid. Fortunately, Darien's territory surrounded Hikari's and mine, so we did not have to worry about turf wars with other vampires. And in all honesty, Darien confessed that he did not mind acting as a buffer for the two of us.

"He's more like a vampire I expected," Hikari said with apparent distaste. "Dark hair, pale skin, killer eyes, and a cold aura: he must be Dracula's nephew or something. I mean… Darien-san has all of the same things, but he does it with class and can sometimes be warm—or at least look kind. But this Kishiro is nothing compared to you or Darien-san, so I knew as soon as I got here I would be safe."

"But your school is in Darien's territory. Why weren't you safe there?"

Hikari shook her head and shrugged. "He must have paid a tribute: a big one if Darien-san is letting him do what he wants."

"No, Darien isn't an idiot," I reasoned, "so he wouldn't have allowed some idiot vampire enter his territories, even with a large tribute. Despite how Darien treats us, he's actually quite picky about his company and guests." Shaking my head, I stood up to go make some tea. "Right now, I wouldn't worry about it. Maybe it's just a one time thing—maybe this guy is just like regular people. Maybe he was just hitting on you, you specifically because he knew that you were a vampire."

Holding the kettle beneath the faucet, I turned on the water and waited until it filled up nicely. We did not talk much more about Kishiro and decided it was best to wait for more developments. After all, we couldn't act before we actually knew what this new vampire wanted.

However, what we didn't know was that further developments would come quickly.

About a week after the incident, I left a local café and made my way towards my old high school. Off work fairly early that day, I walked towards Hikari's high school in hopes of walking her home that day. Usually Takeru had that right exclusively; however, today, I wanted to talk to my baby sister about our upcoming dilemmas as vampires.

"Let go of me!"

"For a new fledgling, you're very powerful—you would make a perfect partner for someone like me."

"I don't want anything to do with you! Let me go! Ah! Stop it!"

Without a second thought, I powered the barrier surrounding the territories, suppressing the two other nearby vampire auras. When they felt their powers lessened, they immediately turned their attention towards me. As soon as I could see them, I rushed towards the aura that I recognized. Hikari managed to pull her arm free from the stranger and rushed towards me.

"Thank heaven you're here, 'nii-chan," Hikari whispered gratefully. She hugged me around my waist, something she only did when she felt frightened.

"It's all right, Hikari. I'll deal with this." Easing her anxiety by untangling her swirling and excited aura with my own, I added as calmly as I could, "Go to my place and I'll see you there when I'm done." She nodded and ran as fast as she could, even with her aura boosting her steps.

Once I knew Hikari was a safe distance away, I returned my attention to who I suspected was Kishiro. "I don't give a damn on who you are or what business you have here. I don't want you ever entering our territories again. You're not welcome, and regardless of your tribute, you will not be allowed to enter."

With a disgusting and somewhat familiar smirk, the jerk smirked, "That is only if you can keep me out, you rookie."

With barely a thought I flexed my powers, causing Kishiro to wince pain. "I'm not even using a percent of my powers." I pressed more of my aura and relished at the idiot's strained expression. "Now you tell me if I have enough strength to keep you out or not."

Done with the conversation, I released him and threw him out of our boundaries. "And if you do manage to find a way in again, you'll regret it for the rest of your existence." I turned away and made my way towards home.

* * *

The next day, things took a turn for the worse. When I got home from work, Hikari sat in my living room, tearfully waiting for me. Surprised and confused, I dropped everything and went to her. "Hikari, what happened?"

"Takeru and I fought," she somehow sniffled through her tears.

"Eh?" I felt a blow to my mind. "You and Takeru fought? You two actually fought over something? Over what?"

"Kishiro—Takeru asked me who he was and how he knew me, and I couldn't tell him anything." While she spoke, I sank into my seat next to her. Her voice became more frantic and emotional as she went on. "He misunderstood when I wouldn't tell him anything about Kishiro and thinks that he's someone I'm interested in. It doesn't help that at school there are rumors flying about that he's my secret boyfriend." Hikari hit the couch with her fists. "Idiot! Why would I have a secret boyfriend when I have him?"

_I need you to focus, Hikari_. I turned her face towards my gaze. "What else?"

"I don't know!" she shouted with tears dripping down the side of her face. "Takeru got angry and I couldn't understand why he wouldn't listen to me. I probably said something wrong too—but it's just all a mess!"

With an angry huff, she picked up her bag and stomped to the door. "It's late, and Okaa-san and Otou-san are probably worried. I should get home before it gets too dark."

Seeing that she wouldn't be consoled or reasoned with at the moment, I stood up and met her at the door. Opening it for her, I followed her through it with my best encouraging face. "Come and see me later if you need to," I told her while I saw her outside.

She smiled slightly. "I will."

_Well, at least you're smiling a little._

After she left, I sat quietly on my couch, thinking about everything that was happening to my sister. I ran a hand through my hair. _Why? Why was Hikari being plagued by so many hardships?_ I had been a vampire far longer than her and I didn't have half as many problems as she did.

I jumped when I felt two great bursts of vampire auras in my territory. I recognized them both, one being Hikari's and the other being Kishiro's. Without hesitation, I leaped through my window and flew towards them as fast as I possibly could. "That idiot—what the hell is he doing back here?"

When I finally reached them in the middle of the darkened park, I couldn't sense Hikari's aura clearly. Hoping to find her, I reached out with my aura and called to her. Instead of hearing her calling back, I felt her powers wavering, close to flickering out. That's when I saw her lying on the ground, Kishiro on top of her with bloodied hands. In gut reaction, I flared my aura to half its limit, effectively getting the damn vampire's attention.

I shoved him away from her and gathered her into my arms. Turning to Kishiro with my darkest glare, I yelled, "Get out. Now."

He smirked in Hikari's direction and murmured, "With how you're always coming to her rescue, I guess you're the one she's so in love with."

"Bastard, get out! NOW!" I flared my aura even more and reached out with it to crush his completely. Unfortunately, the bastard was very quick, even under immense pain, and disappeared from my territory.

I turned my attention back to Hikari and immediately tried to heal her deep wounds. Putting my hand on the gaping gash above her heart, I channeled my powers towards making my sister whole. However, whatever I tried, I couldn't get it to close. Lifting her up as gently as I could, I took her to Darien's home.

"Darien!" I shouted while storming into his living room through the window. "Help me!"

He met me as I entered and helped my lay my sister on his antique white couch. "What happened here?" He set his hands on Hikari and frowned at the blood on his hands and his furniture. I didn't know if he was more annoyed that he couldn't heal her instantly or that his antique couch was ruined. "These aren't natural wounds," Darien almost growled. He whirled towards me and demanded, "Was she fighting a hunter?"

"No, it was a vampire."

"Hm… he must have had a hunter's blade or the like." Darien grimaced as he looked back down at Hikari. "This is going to hurt her and leave her with scars."

"Right now, I just want her to live."

Darien sniffed. "Ironic." Without another word or thought, he set to work on healing my sister. I lent my power as much as possible, not wanting to be in debt to Darien much more than I already was. After taking a third of my power, he sent me away and told me he would heal the rest of Hikari himself.

When he finally finished an hour later, he joined me on his couch. With a wave of his weary finger, he summoned the fledgling that had replaced my sister briefly, Shiruba. Her light hair and glittering eyes catching the moonlight, she darted like quicksilver around the living room and quickly served us warm blood-tea. Darien then dismissed her, drank his drink, and ordered me to do the same. Once we had some strength back, he asked, "Do you know the name of the vampire?"

I didn't have to wonder what he was asking about. "His name is Kishiro. I didn't bother to learn more about him when I was about to break him in half."

"Kishiro…" Darien didn't say anything for a long while, which made me nervous. "I'm not familiar with this name, but I'll look into it more when I can. It'll be interesting to hear how he entered my territory without paying proper tribute. Even more interesting is why he came back when you apparently told him to stay out."

My hands curled into white fists. "Well, if I ever meet that bastard again, I'm going to kill him."

Darien laughed at me: not mockingly but in an amused manner. "I'm sure he knows that too. I don't think he'll cross paths with you again, Kogane, not if he values his immortality as a vampire." He glanced towards Hikari who had managed to fall into a still slumber. "Takara, on the other hand I'm afraid, will be seeing him again sometime in the future."

"Not if he's dead," I said.

Darien chuckled while taking another sip of his tea. "Yes, not if he's dead."

We said nothing more while we watched the sunlight break behind the city's horizon.

* * *

"Thank you," Yamato told the bartender as he handed him his ordered drink. My friend then turned to me with a happy grin. "Hey, how is Hikari-chan lately? I heard that she's having trouble lately, and I'm wondering if she's okay."

"Why are you so concerned? You just got back from your blissful honeymoon and you're worrying about my sister?"

"I'm not," Yamato chuckled while taking a drink. "Takeru sent me to ask."

I almost spat out my beer from his words. "Takeru-kun sent you to ask me about Hikari?" I chortled at the thought, as unbelievable as it was. As long as I've known Takeru, he had never once asked me about Hikari what he could not ask her himself. "Well, this is a first—he's never done this before."

"Yeah," my blond friend agreed with a long sigh, "he's always been edgy about asking for any favors: from you in particular."

"Eh?" I could feel my ear twitch in anticipation and curiosity. "Why's that?"

A catty grin crossed Yamato's face as he set his glass down on the bar. "Oh, you didn't know? Takeru has an inferiority complex when it comes to you." He chuckled into his glass while taking a gulp of his drink. "Because Hikari-chan admires you so much, Takeru looks to you as his greatest rival for her affections—well, that is, until now. Now, he's just so desperate and so overtly concerned that she might be interested in some other guys."

"But she isn't."

"He's just being jealous," Yamato laughed. "They've reached that age—and now Takeru is afraid that other boys will see what he's known for so many years: that Hikari is a beautiful young woman. Really, he's not angry at Hikari. My foolish little brother is just frustrated that he might actually have to fight for someone who he never had to compete for."

"Ne, but it's natural to have fears about someone's affections. After all, they've always assumed their feelings. You get kind of anxious when you don't hear in person that your feelings are returned." I tried not to think about Sora but couldn't help but to see the parallels between my life and Takeru's. And then I felt really bad. Could Takeru possibly have seen the similarities prior? That would explain a few things.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Yamato nodded thoughtfully. "But then again, I think that he's just overstressed. I mean, he has to balance his grades, basketball, and his feelings for Hikari in one go. He has to be overstressed if he thinks that Hikari has changed so much."

"Eh? Changed? What do you mean?" Inside, I feared that our secret had been revealed; but on the outside, I had to make my fear show as something else. "He better not be saying that Hikari's _changed_ like that."

"No, you dope," Yamato scolded me while whacking the back of my head. "He's saying things like Hikari's eyes have changed and she hasn't been quite the same since she got sick some days ago."

"Really? Oh." I smiled bashfully while rubbing the back of my head. Damn, despite his frail and lanky looks, Yamato still had a good, strong arm. "Huh, I haven't noticed anything different about her."

"That's what I told him—if there was anything wrong, you as her older brother would have noticed by now. Ha, of course, that was my mistake. He just became angrier when I mentioned you."

"Ne, maybe what's different about Hikari is she's also realizing how other girls see Takeru," I quickly inserted. "At this point, she feels a little self-conscious about herself. They probably just need some time to sort themselves out and figure out what they mean to each other and their selves."

"Yeah, you're probably right. Maybe Takeru will stop being an idiot long enough to realize that he's just overreacting to everything."

"Leave him alone, Yamato," I laughed. "He's learning, and so is Hikari. It's a part of their growing pains. They have to have their arguments too, you know; they can't always be the Perfect Couple from Heaven. They're only human."

"Yeah, only human."

I sighed.

If only we _were_ human.


	5. Chapter IV

**Author's Note (31.08.2012):** It's been several years since I've updated this story, but I've returned with the full hope that this will be completed. Please enjoy this very short installment. Thank you.

* * *

**Ashen Kisses  
Chapter IV**

* * *

I tried calming my nerves, reminding myself that this was just another night out with Yamato. There was nothing suspicious, no reason to be wound up. So why couldn't I shake off that feeling of oncoming trouble?

"Hey, Taichi, do you remember that night in the park in November?"

"Eh?" I looked up from red wine into clear blue eyes.

"You know, when we met that vampire."

"Er, yeah…" I rubbed the back of my neck while awkward tension filled the air. Why was Yamato bringing this up right now?

It had been months since that attack…and Hikari and I had just come to terms with her "transformation." Our relationship at the moment, to say lightly, was a bit strained. Of all times to speak about Akukin, Yamato had to choose now. I took a deep breath and placed my wineglass down onto the table. _Is this the trouble I'm sensing? Is this what has me on the edge?_ "What about it?"

"I've just been thinking about it." Yamato ran a finger over the rim of his drinking glass. "I wondered if there were more vampires in our world and if they were like her."

"More in our world? God, I hope not. The world already has enough to deal with as long as that woman roams the earth." I recalled some of Darien's stories, stories about the strongest vampires on each continent. He assured me that most were reasonable, if not wise and just, due to their vast amount of years on the planet. Anyway, the ones that mattered weren't anything like the whore of a blood-mother I had… And hopefully, it would stay that way.

"I wish Gabu were here," Yamato sighed, resting his head in his arms. "At least then together we could hunt her down and make sure she never hurts anyone again. Without him or any of our partners, we can't use magic. And I have a feeling that nothing but the strongest magic could get rid of this woman."

"Hey, don't dwell on problems like that," I laughed while hardily patting him on the back. "Remember what Gennai told us? Each of us has something much stronger than the magic we had in Deijitaru. Even though I wish Agu were here too, I bet even in our world there's something we can do."

"I guess," Yamato smiled weakly. "But...but do you think we could ever stand up against her?"

Laughing, I assured Yamato, "Now that we know better, if we trained the right way, I bet we could."

That's all I did nowadays, it seemed. I trained on and on, trying to increase my power so that I could protect the ones that I loved from the darkness that I now lived in. Already I had failed Hikari, my baby sister…I didn't want to let anyone else down. I couldn't afford to lose anyone else to this Darkness.

"Hey, have you noticed Takeru and Hikari not getting along lately?"

I stared at Yamato in surprise. "Eh? Again?" I hoped that I didn't sound fake and added, "What's going on with them? I know every couple has their days, but they don't have much to disagree about—they never really did."

"I don't know," my friend shrugged. "Takeru doesn't want to talk much about it. But he's been coming back home so upset lately, and Okaa-san has been really worried. She says he just mopes around the place when he gets back from school and won't tell her anything."

Imagining a sulking Takeru, especially one sulking over my little sister, made me chuckle. "No kidding? Well, Hikari hasn't said anything, so I doubt it's a big deal. I bet they're just going through some growing pains in their relationship. I'm sure they'll be all right."

Yamato sighed at my words. "I don't know." _He's starting to think that she doesn't love him anymore._

That thought kicked me in the gut. I hadn't meant to overhear it, but Yamato had felt so strongly about it that it forced its way into my mind. And it hurt...it hurt to see Takeru's angry and pained expressions as he explained briefly to his older brother about his recent behavior. It hurt to know that Takeru actually believed that Hikari didn't love him anymore, that she had feelings for someone else when that was furthest from the truth.

But Takeru _knew_.

He felt a distance between him and my sister, so he knew that something had happened. Something great had wedged itself between him and Hikari; and that something, that self-imposed distance was enough to make Takeru believe that Hikari no longer loved him. Or so he had painfully relayed to Yamato.

Rescuing myself from Yamato's thoughts and memories, I quickly made excuses and assured my friend that there wasn't anything to worry about. Hikari still chattered about Takeru fondly and how she couldn't imagine her future with anyone else. I told him more Hikari-like behaviors, which eventually calmed Yamato down enough to believe that the whole situation wasn't anything serious; it would disappear within the week.

"Are you sure about this, Taichi?"

"Oh, come on. Just think about how many times we've fought or you and Sora have fought and see how close we all are. And if we consider that this is our little match-made-in-heaven couple, this little tiff is nothing."

"Yeah..." Yamato genuinely smiled at me. "I guess you're right. Heh, what am I so worried about? Takeru and Hikari just need a good heart-to-heart, and it'll be all right."

The two of us then laughed and talked about other things, like how the others fared and where they were now. We reminisced about our time in Deijitaru and our wild adventures with our magic partners. But underneath my smiles and laughter, I thought of what had to be done. As soon as I bolted through my door that night, I announced to Hikari, "We have to disappear right now."

When I burst in, she had been washing some dishes: not because they had been used, but because we had to keep up human appearances, just in case we had any unexpected guests. In her shocked pose, Hikari questioned as she pulled off her rubber gloves, "Is it that bad, 'nii-chan?"

"Takeru-kun is suspicious of you right now." I held back from her the thoughts and feelings I had read through Yamato; she, of all people especially after what she had been through, didn't need to see that. _Takeru's suspicions would shatter her heart, without a doubt._ "I'm sure Yamato is not that far behind him."

"I understand," Hikari nodded in easy acceptance. "If they're this close to learning the truth, we can't live peacefully like we did. And…and the others wouldn't be able to live the lives that they deserve."

Her quick agreement made me uncomfortable, but then again, Hikari had always been mature for her age. When she had gone to Deijitaru her second time, the others had told me that she had been the mother figure of the group. _She's not new to acknowledging or making hard choices...so I really shouldn't be surprised._

But I didn't think that she would give up Takeru so easily.

I didn't get to think more about it since Hikari reminded me that we had a lot to prepare if we wanted to disappear promptly. With that said, the two of us quickly went to work.

While Hikari made sure that people knew we were together at my apartment that night, I tore my place apart, splashing blood and smearing it just enough to make it look like we had struggled for our lives against some unknown and violent intruder. Afterward, I poured gasoline wherever I could. Just as I dropped the match onto the mad mess, I called firefighters to quickly hurry to my address. After that, I threw my cell-phone into the fire and made sure the neighbors would wake up before the apartment exploded from hitting the gas pipe.

Even though two people would die tonight, that didn't mean that anymore had to follow.

* * *

From a distance Hikari and I watched our friends together receive the news of our "deaths." It somewhat disturbed me how they reacted: instead of breaking into tears, as I thought they would, Mimi and Sora shouted for vengeance; Miyako and Ken comforted Daisuke when he went ballistic; Koushiro and Jyou told everyone hopelessly how the murderers couldn't be found with lacking evidence; and Iori scolded them for dashing their hopes when that was what everyone needed most.

What bothered me most were Yamato and Takeru's reactions to the news: or lack thereof I should say. At our funeral, Sora, Mimi, and Miyako couldn't stop their tears; the others tried holding back some emotion but eventually gave in to what they honestly felt. Everyone in the end shed at least one tear if not more, miserable knowing that Hikari and I were taken from the world in a brutal way. But Yamato and Takeru felt nothing because they didn't believe that Hikari and I were dead.

They knew we weren't dead.

I spent painful hour listening to my best friend giving evidence why I couldn't be dead, how this all seemed impossible and too coincidental. Unluckily for him, Sora lost her temper and shouted, "No more! Please, Yamato, no more!" She cried into his arms, begging him to stop. Hikari and I were dead: end of story. Couldn't he see how everyone felt? Didn't he understand how much it hurt?

"Please," Sora begged from her husband. "Please, Yamato, just let it go. I know Taichi was your best friend, and it's hard…but you have to let him go! Please…just please, at least give us a chance to heal, Yamato."

"I want to go now, 'nii-chan," Hikari whispered while tugging on my sleeve. She had a scowl on her face in attempt to hide her ready-to-fall tears. "I don't want to see this anymore."

Understanding, I nodded and held her hand as we flew away. I couldn't help taking one glance back, only to see Yamato and Takeru staring in our general direction. A shiver went down my spine. _Did they sense us? Can they feel our auras?_

I didn't say anything about it to Hikari. There wasn't a need to make this more difficult for her than it already was.

"How did it go?" Darien asked the moment we flew through the large windows of his home. Hikari said nothing while going to her new room and quietly shutting the door behind her. Dark-haired Darien clicked his tongue and muttered sympathetically, "Not too well, I take it."

_I love how your sister throws silent tantrums, _a voice chuckled in my head.

"It was difficult for her to watch," I explained lamely. I didn't have the energy to give excuses for Hikari's rudeness towards our benefactor and savior. But he seemed to understand our dilemma anyway—if anything, Hikari's "silent tantrums" really did rank in the top five on Darien's entertainment list. So he readily forgave her, despite her behavior.

Sinking down onto the couch beside Darien, I groaned, "I should've left her here."

Darien offered me a cup of blood-tea and returned to reading the book in his lap. "Did things go smoothly otherwise?"

"Everyone believed we were gone."

He heard the hesitation in my voice. "But?"

"Yamato and Takeru didn't quite buy it."

"I suspected as much." Darien sighed with a shake of his head while closing his book. Standing up and walking towards his stuffed and stacked bookshelves, he commented, "Not much of a surprise, considering what they really are."

A feeling of dread sank in. "What do you mean?"

Trading one book for another on the shelf, Darien explained, "I did a little background check on your two friends, Kogane, and discovered something rather interesting. Somewhere at some point in time, they inherited hunter's blood. And their bloodline is the strongest kind in the East."

"You're kidding me."

_No, not them. Of all people, and of all fates, not them._

For as long as vampires existed in this part of the world, the Kashousei clan lived to hunt and to destroy our kind, to maintain the "purity" of humankind and keep the defenseless safe. If only our enemies in Deijitaru had met the Kashousei…

Unfortunately, these skilled vampire hunters never learned how to discriminate between the harmful and helpful vampires and would often commit mass killings. There wasn't a single vampire in all of East Asia that didn't know and didn't tremble in fear of this name. And my two close friends, Yamato and Takeru, were members of the infamous Kashousei clan?

_ This can't be happening._

"I can see how your friend Yamato effectively repelled Akukin that night you first met her," Darien frowned as he shelved that book when he found nothing interesting in its pages. "For someone unaware of his powers and heritage, only a Son of Kashousei could possibly stand up against Akukin and live to see another day."

"And that's why they were always so sensitive to Hikari and me after we died." My hands clutching my hair, I groaned as I berated myself for my stupidity. "They can feel our vampire auras."

_I should have figured it out. After all this time studying under Darien and having access to all this knowledge, I couldn't put two and two together. How much pain could I have spared everyone if I had just been a little smarter?_

At my silence, Darien guessed how I was beating myself up over this. So with a perfect combination of concern and nonchalance, he offered, "How about you and Takara change your scenery? Now that you two aren't tied down to Japan, this is the perfect opportunity for you two to travel and see the world."

The darkness of his smile struck me. It promised great things, be they good or evil. But it also promised deliverance.

"You could live in one of my homes while learning about other vampires, not to mention losing these two hunters on your tails."

I didn't have to think long about the offer.

"We'll go."


End file.
